Atlas Elektronik is a naval/marine

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and systems business based in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is involved in the development of integrated

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

systems for

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s and heavyweight

torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

. The company was a subsidiary of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

until December 2005, when it was sold to

ThyssenKrupp ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It is the result of the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and h ...

and

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

.
Atlas Elektronik became a wholly owned subsidiary of

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany (often abbreviated TKMS) is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deutsc ...

in 2017.

History

Early history

The company was founded in 1902 as ''Norddeutsche Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik GmbH'', focusing on shipbuilding and naval engineering services. Its name was changed in 1911 to ''Atlas Werke AG'', the origin of its modern-day name. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Atlas Werke built

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s for the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

. After the war, the company shrank in size and began to focus on civilian technology, due to restrictions imposed by the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

. Following the

Nazi seizure of power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

, the company grew to become an arms supplier for the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

. Atlas manufactured torpedoes, minesweepers and Enigma machines, among other things.

After 1945

After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Atlas was rebuilt. The shipbuilding division and other business areas were sold off, shifting the focus solely to marine and defence electronics. Starting in the 1960s, the company switched ownership several times, including several years spent as subsidiary of Friedrich Krupp AG (after 1965) and

Bremer Vulkan Bremer Vulkan AG was a prominent German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement. All together Bremer Vulkan built about 1100 s ...

(1991). In 1992, Atlas merged with ''STN Systemtechnik Nord'', a large defence electronics supplier, into STN Atlas Elektronik GmbH. Five years later, in 1997, STN Atlas was taken over by

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

(51%) and

(49%). In 2003 STN Altas was split; Rheinmetall acquired the land systems business (Rheinmetall Defence Electronics) and BAE took control of the naval business, keeping the name Atlas Elektronik.

Sale to ThyssenKrupp

BAE Systems announced it intended to sell the company in 2005. The main bidders were

Thales Group Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris' ...

and

L-3 Communications L3 Technologies, formerly L-3 Communications Holdings, was an American company that supplied command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( C3ISR) systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training d ...

. On December 30 the joint ThyssenKrupp/EADS bid, valued at €145 million (£100m), was named the winner with the companies holding 51% and 49% respectively. The bid was complicated by the requirement of the German government to approve any sale as acceptable. The Financial Times described the sale as "cut price" because the French company Thales bid €300 million, but was blocked from purchasing Atlas on national security grounds.

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...

announcement sale its remaining shares in Atlas Elektronik to ThyssenKrupp on 12 January 2017. The merge of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Atlas Elektronik was completed on 3 April 2017.

Products

* Submarine systems * Surface combatant systems * Mine warfare systems, e.g. SeaFox ROV for mine disposal * Anti-submarine warfare systems * Maritime security systems * Unmanned vehicles * Naval weapons, e.g.

Atlas Elektronik SUT An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

and

DM2A4 DM2A4 Seehecht (export designation "''SeaHake mod 4''" ) is the latest heavyweight torpedo developed by Atlas Elektronik for the German Navy, as a further update of DM2 (Deutsches Modell 2) torpedo which was released in 1976. Description Being ...

(SeaHake mod 4) heavyweight torpedoes * Marine communication systems * Customer services

Subsidiaries

Hagenuk Marinekommunikation
(Germany)
Atlas Elektronik India

Atlas Elektronik Finland

Atlas Elektronik Canada

Atlas Elektronik UK

Atlas Maridan (Demark)

Atlas North America

Anec Korea (South Korea)

Sonartech Atlas (Australia)

Atlas UAE
The group also includes the associated subsidiarie
Cybicom Atlas Defence
(South Africa) an
Advanced Lithium Systems
(Greece)

References

External links

ATLAS Elektronik GmbH Company Homepage
{{Authority control Companies based in Bremen Defence companies of Germany History of Bremen (city) Manufacturing companies based in Bremen (state)